Saunders Secondary School

Saunders Secondary School
Location
London, Ontario, Canada
Information
School board	Thames Valley District School Board
Superintendent	Ms. Marion Moynihan
Principal	Ms. Diana Rajala
Vice principal	Ms. Katrin Gauer, Mr. Dennis Lunau, Mr. Paul Sydor
Funding type	Public
Campus	Urban
Mascot	sabre-tooth tiger
Colours	gold and red
Established	1972
Enrollment	more than 2000
Homepage	http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/saunders/index.html

Saunders Secondary School is located at 941 Viscount Road in the Westmount suburb of London, Ontario, Canada. The school's construction was completed in 1972. Saunders Secondary School is named after William Saunders and his family. William Saunders was a Canadian pioneer and an authority on all matters pertaining to agriculture and horticulture. Grades offered are 9–12. Saunders' school colours are red and gold and its mascot is a sabre-tooth tiger. Saunders Secondary School is the largest high school in the Thames Valley District School Board, with over 2000 students and 120 teachers.

History

Construction of Saunders was completed in 1972. The school cost more than $8 million to build. The location caused many heated debates. The people of Byron, Ontario had been promised, upon amalgamation with the city of London, Ontario, a secondary school in their area so that their children would not have to be bused to the Westmount area. The chosen site for the multi-million dollar school - right in the heart of the Westmount area, across the street from the Westmount Mall - greatly angered the Byron Area Secondary School Association. In spite of this, in January 1969, the London Board of Education approved the Westmount location for the school. On April 18 1994, arsonists set fire to Saunders forcing the evacuation and temporary closure of the school [1], as well as an extensive rebuilding of the rear part of the building. London Police subsequently charged three students with setting the blaze. On October 27 2006, a second, albeit minor, fire occurred in the school. The fire was set in an elevator by a student. The student lit a dried floral display. The fire moved to the first floor in the elevator where it was quickly extinguished by the custodial staff. Students and staff rapidly evacuated the school. No one was harmed and the perpetrator was quickly apprehended by the school administration and the police.

Construction

Saunders is currently undergoing an exterior renovation. Demolition of the exterior fire escape staircases began on October 1 2007. The renovation is scheduled to be completed in the Spring of 2008. The exterior fire escape staircases on the East and West sides of the building have been entirely removed. The West side staircase will be replaced with a new fire escape; the east side (by the school parking lot) will be replaced with a new atrium and entryway to the school. The fire escape staircases at the South side of the building that serve the quadruple gymnasium will also be demolished and replaced. The school parking lot is also scheduled to be resurfaced in the Summer of 2008.

Sports

Saunders Secondary School has long been known for sports, and, in particular, the senior boys' Volleyball team. The team, coached by Saunders Mathematics Teacher Rob Atkinson, has had unprecedented success. In 2007, the team won both TVRAA and OFSAA in AAAA for the fourth straight year. They are the only team in Ontario history to accomplish this feat. The Saunders Junior Football team won the city championships in 2007. This marks the first time in a decade that Saunders Junior Football has won the city championships. The team was led by captains Kane McKwen and Oliver Butterworth, and was coached by Geography teacher Mark Bukich. Nigel Wilson who teaches at Saunders is also a volunteer coach at the University of Western Ontario. In 2007 he received the Gino Fracas Award for Most Outstanding Volunteer Assistant Coach in Canadian University Football.^[1]

Notable alumni and staff

Notable alumni and staff include:

• Jesse Davidson, fundraiser and poster boy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
• Sonja Gustafson, Opera Singer
• David Hughes, President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada
• Alternative band Kittie (all original founding members)
• Adam Kreek, Canadian athlete and Olympian
• Irene Mathyssen, federal Member of Parliament and former Ontario Cabinet Minister was an English teacher at Saunders
• Rick Nash, NHL Player
• Corey Perry, NHL Player, 2007 Stanley Cup Champion
• Patrick Kane, NHL Player
• Steve Mason, hockey player
• Rick Green, NHL Player
• Rob Ramage, NHL Player
• Deighton Thomas, former CFL Player, actor, teaches at Saunders.
• Mason Williams Webcomic artist/writer
• Stuart Hughes, Stage and Screen Actor, husband of Megan Follows

References

External links

• Saunders Secondary School
• Thames Valley District School Board
• Class of 1982 Reunion